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Switch to Skim Milk Won't Prevent Toddler's Obesity: Study

MONDAY, March 18 (HealthDay News) -- Drinking low-fat or skim
milk does not prevent toddlers from gaining excess weight and is
actually associated with overweight and obesity in preschool
children, a new study finds.

The findings challenge a recommendation from the American
Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the American Heart Association
(AHA) that all children drink low-fat or skimmed milk after age 2
to reduce their saturated fat intake and avoid excess weight
gain.

One expert not connected to the study said it brings up
interesting questions.

"For many years the message to parents has been simple: after about 2 years of age it is recommended to change your child's milk consumption to low-fat or skim milk," said Marlo Mittler, a registered dietitian at Cohen Children's Medical Center of New York in New Hyde Park. "This latest study says we need to think this through."

In the study, researchers gathered data about the milk
consumption of 11,000 American children when they were 2 and 4
years old. They were also weighed at both ages.

The number of children who were overweight/obese was 30 percent
at age 2 and 32 percent at age 4. Overweight/obese children were
more likely to drink skimmed/semi-skimmed milk at age 2 (14
percent) and age 4 (16 percent) than normal weight children (9
percent at age 2 and 13 percent at age 4).

The average weight of children who drank 2 percent/full-fat milk
was also lower than that of children who drank skimmed/semi-skimmed
milk, even after the researchers accounted for other factors,
according to the study published online March 18 in the journal
Archives of Disease in Childhood.

When they analyzed weight gain trends over time, the researchers
found no overall differences between children who drank
skimmed/semi-skimmed milk and those who drank 2 percent/full-fat
milk.

However, children who regularly drank skimmed/semi-skimmed milk
and were not overweight/obese at age 2 were 57 percent more likely
to become so by age 4, the investigators noted.

Logic would suggest that giving children low-fat milk would help
protect them from putting on excess pounds, but the reality is more
complex, explained the research team led by Mark Daniel DeBoer, an
associate professor in the pediatric endocrinology division at the
University of Virginia School of Medicine.

They suggested that milk fat may increase the feeling of
fullness and reduce a child's appetite for other fatty or
calorie-dense foods.

Mittler agreed that the theory might have merit. "Many questions
come up about how much [the children] drink as well as the amount
of consumption in general," she said.

"So while the AAP and AHA can stand behind their recommendation, more needs to be considered when thinking of your child's overall diet," Mittler said. "Changing to skimmed or low-fat milk may not be the only answer to avoiding obesity."

According to the study authors, rather than giving children
low-fat milk, parents might be better off using proven weight
control measures, such as increasing children's physical activity
levels and consumption of fruits and vegetables, restricting their
intake of sugary drinks, and limiting the amount of time they spend
in front of the television and computer, the researchers suggested
in a journal news release.

But one other expert stands by the AAP/AHA recommendations to
give kids low-fat or skimmed milk after age 2.

"The children in the study would have had a greater percentage of obesity if they had been on whole milk," said Dr. Peter Richel, chief of pediatrics at Northern Westchester Hospital in Mt. Kisco, N.Y. "The degree of obesity cited in the study is probably due to our Western cultural habits of unnecessarily larger portions and sugar consumption," he believes. "The children of America have far too much juice and soda, which are loaded with excess calories."

Although the study found an association between consumption of
skimmed/semi-skimmed milk and extra weight in preschool children,
it could not prove a cause-and-effect relationship.

Please be aware that this information is provided to supplement the care provided by your physician. It is neither intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. CALL YOUR HEALTHCARE PROVIDER IMMEDIATELY IF YOU THINK YOU MAY HAVE A MEDICAL EMERGENCY. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider prior to starting any new treatment or with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.